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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25127707">Where Angels Fear To Tread</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_So_Mundane_After_All_97/pseuds/Not_So_Mundane_After_All_97'>Not_So_Mundane_After_All_97</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Titans (TV 2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>And he embraces his role like a champ, Dick Grayson is the Best Dad, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Father Figures, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fatherhood, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Near Death Experiences, Platonic Relationships</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:54:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,251</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25127707</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_So_Mundane_After_All_97/pseuds/Not_So_Mundane_After_All_97</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After falling from a collapsing building, Dick comes out without a scratch, but from Rachel's perspective, it looked like a certain death. Now it's up to him to make sure she doesn't fall apart thinking she had lost him forever.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dick Grayson &amp; Rachel Roth, Dick Grayson &amp; Raven</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>81</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Where Angels Fear To Tread</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Yep, here I am... With another fluffy/angsty oneshot... Because I have nothing else to do... No, but honestly, my boo <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/SiryyGray/pseuds/SiryyGray">@SiryyGray</a> slides me the best ideas, as always (her MIND) and I absolutely had to write this. And round of applause for her for coming up with the title, like I said - always with the BEST ideas.<br/>Enjoy this little thing.<br/>Bye!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The building is shaking to its foundations. The flames are climbing higher and higher around them, separating them from the few escape routes that still might be within reach. Pungent smoke stings her eyes and makes her breathing difficult, so Rachel keeps her hand raised to her face, covering her mouth with the hem of a black cape of her suit.</p><p>"Starfire, take her out of here, now!" Nightwing shouts frantically as his hands push her towards Kory. His eyes under his mask are wide open and filled with fear but his voice is loud and clear - this is an order, he won't have it any other way.</p><p>"What about you?" She protests, wrapping her fingers tightly around his wrists when he presses his hands to her shoulders, ushering her to go. Kory is already behind her, reaching for her hand. "I'm not leaving you!"</p><p>"This is too dangerous, Rachel. You need to run!" He shouts again, trying to make himself heard through another explosion. A rain of broken glass falls upon them and his arm is immediately around her, pushing her to the ground and covering her. "I'll find the way out. I have better chances on my own. Kory will take you to safety."</p><p>As if on command, Starfire wraps her arms around her shoulders, ready to fly out any given moment.</p><p>Rachel stares back at him, eyes filling with tears.</p><p>"Dick, no-"</p><p>He grabs her cheeks in his hands and quickly presses a deep kiss to her forehead. Forcing a smile on his face, he whispers.</p><p>"I'll see you in a minute, okay? Go."</p><p>Suddenly another shiver shakes through the building, much more powerful this time. Something just exploded beneath them. The floor under them starts to crackle, the mesh of cracks begins to spread at the speed of light, separating them from each other. </p><p>What happens next seems to stretch for eternity, though it lasts only mere seconds.</p><p>"KORY, NOW!" Dick screams the moment the floor breaks beneath him.</p><p>The giant structure of concrete and steel bends in and down, sending everything into clouds of fire below. Kory jumps with Rachel out of the way at the last minute, but Dick is not so lucky. He tries to grab at something, smacks his arms in the air, but the angle of inclination is too large. He won't be able to hold on to anything.</p><p>"No!" She shouts as her eyes turn bright red. In the last, desperate attempt she rips herself from Kory's embrace, not caring that they are already in the air and reaches her hand out, sending a black string of smoke. But Nightwing is falling too fast. And with Kory pulling her the other way…</p><p>The smoke wraps itself around his wrist, momentarily yanking him up. But then another explosion makes them lose their balance again and his hand starts to slip from her grasp.</p><p>"NOOO!" she screams, watching as realization dawns on him and slowly, one by one he starts pulling his fingers away. "Dick, don't you dare let go!"</p><p>Their eyes meet for a second. He mouths something to her, but she can't hear him and her vision is too blurry. </p><p>And then he falls.</p><p>Disappearing in the cloud of fire and smoke underneath him, with his hands outstretched towards her. </p><p>"DICK!"</p><p>She pulls away from Kory, trying to get out, to jump after him, but she only manages to reach the edge before she's being pulled back. </p><p>"No, no, let me go!" she cries, louder and louder, as Kory drags her away. "Dick… DICK!"</p><p>Tears fall down her cheeks, washing clean tracks in dirt and ash. Her heart is trying to rip out of her chest, to go after him. She falls to her knees, digs her nails in the hard concrete floor, pushing Kory away whenever she tries to reach out.</p><p>And just before she loses him out of her sight, just before a fist of fire swallows him whole, a horrifying scream rips out of her chest, so loud it could turn everything around her to dust.</p><p>"DAAAAAAD!!!"</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>***</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>It's honestly a fucking miracle he even survived that fall. He's not sure how much time have passed, the next thing he knows Hank and Donna are pulling him out from under burning rubble. He groans at the sharp pain somewhere in his chest, probably a bruised or broken rib, but his suit has sustained most of the damage. </p><p>Stu is a bloody genius.</p><p>"Don't you have enough of fucking with fate?" Hawk asks him halfheartedly, pulling him up to his feet. His head gets dizzy for a second, a definite sign of a concussion. Something warm drips down the side of his forehead, but considering he just fell off a collapsing building, a gash in the head feels like nothing. "That was too much of a close call, Nightwing."</p><p>"Are you sure you okay?" Donna asks, checking him over. Her eyebrows furrow with worry. "I would fucking smack you in the head for being that stupid if I wasn't scared you're gonna pass out."</p><p>"I'll be fine." he mutters, slowly pushing Donna's hands away. His mind is elsewhere already. As his head clears out, memories start rushing back into his mind.</p><p>Kory and Rachel were there with him when the building started to fall.</p><p>Rachel tried to catch him. Did Kory pull her out in time?</p><p>
  <em> Oh, God. Rachel. </em>
</p><p>A memory of her eyes full of fear and pain knocks the air out of his lungs. Their last seconds come back to him.</p><p>He knew she won't be able to hold him long enough. He needed her out of there as fast as possible. Letting go was the only way to do that.</p><p>She had to watch him fall.</p><p>He told her he loved her. Did she even hear him?</p><p>And her scream, her heartbreaking shout reaching his ears just before he lost consciousness.</p><p>
  <em> DAAAAAAD!!! </em>
</p><p>He needs to get to her. Now. She needs to know he's alive.</p><p>"Kory and Rachel were there with me." he says, turning back to Wonder Girl. His voice sounds more and more panicked with every word. "Where are they? Did they make it? Tell me they made it."</p><p>Donna lays a comforting hand on his shoulder, her expression softening at his distress.</p><p>"Don't worry. They got out." she tells him. "Kory flew them back to the Tower immediately."</p><p>He exhales deeply, relieved. Thank God.</p><p>"And they were okay?"</p><p>"As far as I could tell, yeah." she nods. "The explosion killed the comms, so we haven't been in contact, but I saw them flying away."</p><p>"When was this?"</p><p>"Around an hour ago. Maybe more."</p><p>Dick curses under his breath. He already lost an hour.</p><p>"Come on." he ushers, walking away. "We need to get home."</p><p>"Man, wait!" Hank stops him, grabbing his shoulder. "You sure you don't need to get checked over first?"</p><p>"Later." he answers shortly, already getting into their car. "Just drive, Hank."</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>***</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Walking out of the elevator, he drops the upper parts of his suit on the ground, leaving only a black undershirt on. The mask lands on the floor next, sticky with blood.</p><p>"Dick, thank God." Kory gasps, immediately rushing to him. She wraps her arms around his neck, pressing herself to him tightly, before pulling away quickly when she hears him groan in pain. "Oh, sorry. Are you okay?"</p><p>"I'll live. It's just a bruised rib." he tells her, brushing his fingers over her face. She seems okay. Tired, but she got herself cleaned up and she doesn't look injured. "Where's Rachel?"</p><p>Kory's relieved expression drops instantly, her forehead creasing with worry. She turns her head over her shoulder, eyes looking through the living room.</p><p>"On the couch." she exhales. "Curled herself into a ball the moment we came back here and hasn't said the word since. I told her you were okay when we got the news but I'm not sure she even heard me. She completely shut down, didn't even let me check her over. I did what I could, but not much."</p><p>Swallowing a bile in his throat Dick moves past her, slowly walking up the stairs. Indeed, she's laying there, curled up in a fetus position, staring aimlessly at nothing. She's still in her suit, only her cape lays crumpled up on the floor next to the couch. Kory wiped her face clean, but her eyes are rimmed red and swollen from crying. An occasional shiver runs through her body and with each one she only seems to shrink herself even more, curling tighter into a ball.</p><p>He slowly falls to his knees next to her and brushes her cheek with a trembling hand. No reaction. Nothing happens.</p><p>"Rachel…" he whispers, feeling his throat tightening up. She looks so lost, so scared. So… broken. "Rach, I'm here."</p><p>Finally, she slowly lifts up her head a little and their eyes meet. She gasps, propping herself on her elbow and reaches out to his face, stroking his cheek. He instantly grabs her fingers, pressing them lightly to his lips for a brief moment.</p><p>"I'm here." he mutters. "I'm okay."</p><p>Her breathing deepens, becomes ragged and shuddering. Tears fall down her round cheeks and she flings herself at him, shaking like a leaf.</p><p>"Dad…" she chokes out as a strangled sob rips through her body. She buries her face in the crook of his neck, leaving her tears on his skin. "D-dad… Daddy…"</p><p>His heart breaks at the sound. She's clutching to him desperately, digging her nails into his shoulder blades so hard it hurts. She keeps repeating that word, she keeps calling him <em> dad </em> and each time she does he wants to fall apart and cry. He knew for a while now she had awakened some deeply hidden paternal instinct in him he didn't even realize he had before. But to hear it out loud from her as she's repeating the sacred word like a prayer, like it's the only thing keeping her sane, it solidifies something in him, a part of him he never wants to let go.</p><p>"I'm here." he whispers in her ear as his hand goes up to cradle the back of her head while the other holds her trembling body tight against him. His own tears fall into her hair. "Daddy's right here, baby. I got you."</p><p>"I saw you fall." she mumbles, melting deeper into him. "I thought- God, I thought-"</p><p>"Shhh…" he whispers, cupping her face in his hands. His thumbs brush away her tears when he presses his lips to her forehead. "My baby girl… I'm right here, it's okay."</p><p>"I was so scared…"</p><p>"I know…"</p><p>"I thought I lost you…"</p><p>"I'm here, baby."</p><p>She trembles against him, sinking deeper into his embrace.</p><p>"Dad, don't leave me."</p><p>"Never." he pulls away a little, taking a look at her face. "Are you okay? Were you hurt?"</p><p>"No." she shakes her head, her lips curving into a small smile. "I'm just tired."</p><p>He tucks a lock of her hair behind her ear.</p><p>"Let's get you to bed, then. C'mon."</p><p>He gets up to his feet and reaches out, letting her link her arms around his neck. He scoops her up and when her legs are wrapped tightly around his waist, he slowly makes his way to the hallway, passing by Kory. She gives him a warm smile, brushing her fingers over Rachel's back. </p><p>Moving is a little difficult but he's willing to push through the pain for the night. He'll deal with his injuries in the morning.</p><p>"You're hurt." Rachel mumbles into his shoulder.</p><p>"Don't worry about it."</p><p>But before he's even finished talking, he can feel a bolt of warm energy slowly flowing through him, healing his damaged ribs and concussed head in a matter of seconds. Rachel is beyond exhausted, yet she still used the rest of her strength to heal him.</p><p>"You didn't have to do that, you know?" he tells her, opening his bedroom door. "But thank you."</p><p>"Mhmm." is her only reply.</p><p>He lays her down on the bed slowly, which comes with a little bit of struggle since she's holding on to him so tight, but eventually she loosens up her arms and lets him take off her boots and armor parts of her suit, leaving her only in pants and a t-shirt. He throws the rest of his own suit away and slips under the covers, instantly taking Rachel back into his arms. She melts into him right away, burying herself in his chest.</p><p>"Daddy…" she coos, sounding a lot younger than a fifteen year old girl.</p><p>He drops a kiss to her forehead, squeezing her tighter.</p><p>"I'm right here, baby girl." He mumbles against her skin. "Daddy's right here. And I'm not going anywhere, I swear."</p><p>His precious baby girl. His beautiful, little angel. His miracle. There's not enough words in the world to describe how much she means to him. How much he's willing to sacrifice for her. How damn much he loves her.</p><p>His entire world.</p><p>His everything.</p><p>His daughter.</p><p>"Sleep, baby." he whispers to her ear, wrapping his arms tighter around her. "I'll be right here when you wake up."</p><p>"I love you, dad."</p><p>He smiles, closing his eyes. It feels like his heart will burst out of his chest any second now. He never would have thought being a father will feel this way. And he wouldn't change it for anything.</p><p>"I love you, too, honey." he replies. "So much."</p><p> </p><p>***</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Kudos and comments as always appreciated. Don't be afraid to come and say hi on my Tumblr <a href="https://not-so-mundane-after-all-97.tumblr.com/">@not-so-mundane-after-all-97</a>. See you there!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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